Dunn verdict fuels calls to change Florida gun law

During the wait for a verdict on Friday, Feb. 14, U.S. Representative Corrine Brown from Florida's 5th District, gave a midday interview with First Coast News.

Critics of Florida’s Stand-Your-Ground law are using the verdict in the murder trial of Michael Dunn to showcase their argument that state laws should be changed.

Dunn was convicted on three counts of second-degree attempted murder, but the jury could not reach a verdict on first- or-second-degree murder in the shooting death of 17-year-old Jordan Davis after about 30 hours of deliberations.

“It’s a sloppy bill. It needs to be narrowly tailored and judges need more discretion,” U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown, a Jacksonville Democrat, said Sunday.

“When the law started, the intention was very good: If you break into my house, I’m going to deal with you. But when you extend [that premise]…. there are problems.”

Stand-Your-Ground was not used as a defense in Dunn’s trial over the shooting death of 17-year-old Jordan Davis, but was referenced in juror instructions. The jury deadlocked Saturday night on the murder charge, but convicted Dunn of three counts of attempted murder for shooting into an SUV occupied by Davis and three friends.

State Rep. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, filed the Stand-Your-Ground law in 2005. He defended it Sunday afternoon and said he would hesitate to alter the law.

“I would be very cautious to do anything with the legislation that would in any way diminish law-abiding citizens’ rights to protect themselves from violent acts,” Baxley said.

Baxley said the “reasonable man standard” in the law is often left unreported by the media. He said it’s a misconception that someone only has to believe his life is in danger to use Florida’s self-defense laws. He said self-defense can be applied only if a reasonable man would reach the conclusion they were likely to suffer great bodily harm or death.

“There’s nothing in the legislation that gives you the authority to pursue, confront or provoke another person,” he said. “It [does] allows you to meet force with force.”

Dunn, who fired 10 rounds from a pistol after exchanging words with Davis over loud rap music at a Gate gas station parking lot, said he acted in self-defense. Though Dunn said he thought he saw Davis holding a weapon, no shots were fired by anyone other than Dunn, he was not attacked and no other weapon was found.

Brown said the law, which relieves people of any duty to retreat before using deadly force in reaction to a threat, should be clarified to avoid emboldening people to use guns unnecessarily. She noted as an example a recent fatal shooting of a Tampa-area moviegoer whose texting had led to an altercation with another patron.

State Senator John Thrasher, R-St. Augustine, said he has received “hardly any” calls to repeal or change Stand-Your-Ground from people in his district.

“I think the folks in my district are comfortable with Stand-Your-Ground, and I am too,” Thrasher said.

He said the ultimate decision of whether self-defense was a valid defense will fall to a jury.

“The jury system in our state works very well,” he said.

Jared LoPiano, 39, was leaving Bullzeye’s Gunshop and Indoor Range Sunday afternoon with his wife after his first visit there. He said Stand-Your-Ground has positives “but like any law it can and has been abused.”

“I definitely think it is a good law,” he said.

Clint Peoples, 39, stopped by Shooters Firearm and Gun Accessories on the Southside Sunday afternoon to look at bows. He doesn’t own a gun, but hunts with plenty of people who do.

Peoples said one of his friends recently received his concealed-weapons permit. Peoples said that permit holders are taught not to leave the scene of a crime when self-defense is used.

He said Dunn did not act like a responsible gun owner when he fled the scene and didn’t report the shooting to police.

Peoples said he believes the Stand-Your-Ground law needs minor changes that would provide clarity to when someone can and cannot use self-defense.

“It’s better than nothing,” he said.

The verdict also was seized upon by the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence.

“It defies belief that a man who senselessly opened fire on a group of teenagers out of anger would be convicted for missing three of them, yet exonerated for the one he killed in cold blood,” the Washington-based group said in a statement Sunday.

Dunn wasn’t exonerated and State Attorney Angela Corey said Dunn will be on trial again.

Brown said she will talk to the U.S. Justice Department about whether it has a role in addressing concerns about Stand-Your-Ground, but that the effort to change the law should center on Tallahassee.

She said she plans to be part of a March 3 event where opponents of Stand-Your-Ground will hold rallies and conference calls to underscore their concerns.

@Ben:("Reasonable pro gun owners should be pushing for some form of background check and mental evaluation of certain people before they are allowed to own a gun. Reasonable citizens should want some change in the stand your ground law to ensure that it is not abused by people using it as an excuse to start fights and then shoot someone. Those changes would be a lot better than doing nothing and then someday losing all the rights.")---I am "reasonable" and I very much fear the "mental evaluation of certain people" you ask for. The ovens of Auschwitz were stoked with "reasonable citizens" that were judged unsuitable by those who had come to power. Your second statement simply shows misunderstanding of the law as it is written. No one has ever been successful in using this law in that scenario. I can claim "stand your ground", "castle doctrine", "self defense" and "ally ally home free" all day long but they won't justify starting an incident to justify a killing. Never have...never will. As for "...losing all the rights." we are in danger of just that if the legitimate citizenry of this nation do not look at the freedom of millions of people being decided by the actions or fate of less than ONE TENTH OF ONE PERCENT of the population!!!